U.S. PatentsPatent NumberKind CodeIssue DatePatentee4,553,7511985 Nov. 19Ketchum6,209,877B12001 Apr. 3Warnick6,250,634B12001 Jun. 26Strain and Milligan6,357,750B12002 Mar. 19Lievens and Geert6,723,011B12004 Apr. 20Helvert and Bowden3,427,0261969 Feb. 11Mahoney4,153,2461979 May 8Byrne8,460,128A12013 Jun. 11Elpers
Through history nets have been used for various purposes from catching fish, catching animals, catching planes landing on aircraft carriers, nets to strain food or catch debris, catching falling people or objects, to nets used in sports applications. Even though the embodiment of the Bounce Back Item Net is focused on applications in sports it could apply to many of other areas like safety, commercial, and industrial applications.
Focusing within the realm of sports, returning or rebounding balls has been done with reasonable results; however footballs have not worked well on any existing net until now. What is really lacking with existing types of rebounding nets is higher rebound energy, adaption to shapes of balls or other objects like oblong shaped footballs, and more control of where balls or other objects trajectories.
Several types of sports nets have been proposed—for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,751 to Ketchum (1985), U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,877 to Warnick (2001), U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,634 to Strain and Milligan (2001), U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,750 to Lievens and Geert (2002), U.S. Pat. No. 6,723,011 to Helvert and Bowden (2004), U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,026 to Mahoney (1969), U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,246 to Byrne (1979), U.S. Pat. No. 8,460,128 to Elpers (2013). Although various rebounding types of nets have been designed to work with sports balls, many limits have existed due to such factors as loss of energy for return, having to stand directly in front of the net to have the ball return towards the sender due to lack of control of where the ball rebounds, and of course the inability to handle footballs due to their oblong shape.
Dorsett patent Application 61/995,911(2014) for ‘Bounce Back Item Net’, henceforth called ‘Dorsett’, describes a net that has high rebound energy, can handle balls and objects despite unusual shapes, and has good control over where the ball rebounds or is directed to, which includes returning balls to senders at side angles<45 degrees. I do respect the existing patents and the cleverness of their designs. I perceive that they have the following strengths and weaknesses:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,751 by Ketchum, sports bouncing back apparatus, is designed for hockey pucks and not balls. Whereas Dorsett can be designed to rebound any object.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,877 to Warnick is a rebounding sports net designed to use a weave of perpendicular nylon strings held tightly on a flimsy frame. It is designed after a tennis racket which has very low rebound energy without swinging the racket. Whereas Dorsett easily rebounds various shaped balls or objects to the sender or source with accuracy and high energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,634 by Strain and Milligan improved sports bounce back apparatus is lighter weight than the present design by Dorsett, inexpensive to manufacture, durable and resistant to weather but limited to round soccer sized balls which when propelled hard against the device may rebound or bounce back to the user, especially standing in front of it. Whereas Dorsett is capable of easily rebounding assorted sports balls, irregular balls like footballs or other objects, has more control of the ball or object, can rebound balls even at side angles, and the rebound energy is probably much higher.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,750 by Lievens and Geert has a device comprising a frame, a net, and an elastic suspension element which gives it some rebound capability. However the net is more designed for tennis and round balls. Whereas Dorsett overcomes the ball rebound limitations by providing high rebound energy, rebounds even at a side angle, more control, and can rebound unusual objects like oblong footballs.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,723,011 by Helvert and Bowden has a catch net device consisting of a net, and a mesh which are standard in structure for application with soccer balls. Net replacement is an additional feature. Whereas, Dorsett will rebound the balls or objects, instead of stopping them.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,026 A by Mahoney sets on a square mount structure with the rebounding type net which is raised to an adjustable height and lean to rebound at the select height. The rebounding net is essentially a firm net connected to the net frame on the net edge by elastic materials, similar to materials on some trampolines. Whereas Dorsett provides much higher rebound energy, better control of where balls are rebounded to, and handles round or odd shaped balls or objects.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,246 by Byrne has a device that essentially is a tough sheet that can be mounted to garage doorways or fixed structures that acts as a stop for assorted balls. Whereas Dorsett rebounds balls and other objects of various shapes with control of trajectory by the sender, or source, rebounding such with high energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,460,128 by Elpers has a device that is multifaceted and complex in structure. Essentially, it is a stop surface for balls but has some rebound energy in one of its many layers of structure using a taut net attached to the frame by elastic stretchable cord on the edge. This rebounds with low energy and control. Whereas Dorsett rebounds balls or other shaped objects with high energy, provides control to the sender, or source, of where the ball or object goes, and can rebound balls or objects of various shapes to its origin even from side angles.